THE inclusion of Simon Schama on Saga Magazine's list of Britain's 50 wisest people may have some Welsh people rolling in the aisles or spitting blood.

THE inclusion of Simon Schama on Saga Magazine's list of Britain's 50 wisest people may have some Welsh people rolling in the aisles or spitting blood.

Some television viewers this side of Offa's Dyke complained that Schama's big-budget series, called A History of Britain, was Anglo- centric and paid too little attention to British civilisation before the Anglo-Saxons.

Last year, leading Welsh historian John Davies launched a stinging attack on celebrity historians including Schama, accusing them of treating Wales and its ancient culture as an appendix to Britain. He said Schama's book contained just one index entry for Wales - "Wales, wars with".

Professor Davies claimed historians like Schama were retreating from telling the stories of ordinary people to concentrate again on the rich and powerful.

But Saga Magazine said Schama did not have to prove his intellectual or academic credentials, as his History of Britain series was watched by 4.4 million viewers.

"He arguably did more than any other modern-day historian to bring the vital lessons of history to the masses in a way that was popular rather than populist.

"His accessible, informed style nailed the lie that 'history is boring' and turned the subject into must-watch, prime- time viewing," the magazine said.